At least three people were killed by felled trees overnight Thursday as violent storms ripped through central New Jersey. A pair of men, ages 25 and 79, were driving through Plainfield when a tree crushed their vehicle, taking numerous power lines down with it sometime between 6 and 7 p.m., officials said.

Residents in parts of the U.S. as far flung as New Jersey and Texas were contending with the devastating effects of heavy rain and thunderstorms that swept through their communities Thursday night. The storms are being blamed for at least three deaths in central New Jersey,